The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2000

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PART II
WATER SUPPLY ZONES

Water supply zones

3.–(1) Before the beginning of each year in which it intends to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes, a water authority shall designate the names and areas within its area of supply that are to be its water supply zones for that year.

(2) A water supply zone may not comprise an area whose population immediately before the beginning of the year in question is estimated by the water undertaker to exceed 100,000.

(3) A water authority may not vary a designation under paragraph (1) after the beginning of the year in relation to which the designation has effect.

PART III
WHOLESOMENESS

Wholesomeness

4.–(1) Water supplied

(a) for such domestic purposes as consist in or include, cooking, drinking, food preparation or washing; or

(b) to premises in which food is produced,

shall be regarded as wholesome for the purposes of Part VI A of the Act, as it applies to the supply of water for those purposes, if the requirements of paragraph (2) are satisfied; and where the water has been softened or desalinated and is to be supplied for cooking, drinking or food preparation or to premises in which food is produced, the requirements of paragraph (3) are also satisfied.

(2) The requirements of this paragraph are

(a) that the water does not contain

(i) any micro-organism (other than a parameter) or parasite; or

(ii) any substance (other than a parameter), at a concentration or value which would constitute a potential danger to human health;

(b) that the water does not contain any substance (whether or not a parameter) at a concentration or value which, in conjunction with any other substance it contains (whether or not a parameter) would constitute a potential danger to human health;

(c) that the water does not contain concentrations or values of the parameters listed in Tables A and B in Schedule 1 in excess of the prescribed concentrations or values.

(3) The requirements of this paragraph are that the water’s total hardness, on transfer from a treatment works, is not below 60 mgCa/litre.

(4) The point at which -

(a) the requirements of paragraph (2), in so far as they relate to the parameters set out in Part I of Table A in Schedule 1 and in Table B in Schedule 1; and

(b) where applicable, the requirements of paragraph (3),

are to be complied with is —

(i) in the case of water supplied from a tanker, the point at which the water emerges from the tanker;

(ii) in any other case, the consumer’s tap.

(5) Water supplied for regulation 4(1) purposes shall be regarded as unwholesome for the purposes of Part VI A of the Act if, on transfer from a treatment works for supply for those purposes

(a) it contains a concentration or value of the parameters listed in Part II of Table A in Schedule 1 in excess of the prescribed concentrations; or

(b) it contains a concentration of nitrite in excess of 0.1 mgNO₂/l; or

(c) it fails to satisfy the formula [nitrate]/50 + [nitrite]/3 = 1, where the square brackets signify the concentrations in mg/l for nitrate (NO₃) and nitrite (NO₂).

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), water supplied for regulation 4(1) purposes shall be regarded as unwholesome for the purposes of Part VI A of the Act if, on transfer from a service reservoir for supply for those purposes, it contains a concentration or value of the parameters listed in Part II of Table A in Schedule 1 in excess of the prescribed concentrations or value.

(7) Water transferred from a service reservoir for supply for regulation 4(1) purposes shall not be regarded as unwholesome for the purposes of Part VI A of the Act because the maximum concentration for the coliform bacteria parameter listed in Part II of Table A in Schedule 1 is exceeded if, as regards the samples taken in any year in which the reservoir in question is in use, the results of analysis for that parameter establish that in at least 95% of those samples coliforms were absent.

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